Client Work

George represents committees of unsecured creditors, secured creditors, indenture trustees, bondholder and noteholder groups, and other entities in bankruptcy reorganization and liquidation proceedings.

Recent representations include:

Representation of the creditors’ committee in the bankruptcy restructuring proceedings of Cengage Learning, Inc., a leading educational content, software and services company and textbook publisher. Cengage filed for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York on July 2, 2013, with approximately $7.5 billion in assets, making it the largest Chapter 11 filing of 2013. Through the mediation process,we enabled Cengage to cut its debts by more than $4 billion and to provide recovery for unsecured creditors. Cengage emerged from bankruptcy on March 31, 2014.

Representation of the creditors’ committee in the bankruptcy proceedings of Vivaro Corporation, et al., a leading producer of prepaid international calling cards. Vivaro filed for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on September 5, 2012, with approximately $68 million in assets and $135 million in liabilities. The creditors’ committee is taking the lead in prosecuting, among other things, fraudulent conveyance claims for approximately $50 million against the company’s former owners, Leucadia National Corporation and Baldwin Enterprises Inc.

Representation of commodity futures customers in the liquidation proceedings of MF Global, Inc. under the Securities Investor Protection Act. MF Global, a major financial broker-dealer, declared bankruptcy on October 31, 2011, with approximately $41 billion in assets, $39.7 billion in liabilities, and a shortfall in the customer funds of approximately $1.6 billion, making it the largest Wall Street firm to collapse since the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy in September 2008. On April 4, 2014, James W. Giddens, the trustee for the MF Global liquidation, initiated the final distributions to MF Global’s customers, which will fully satisfy all claims of both securities and commodity futures customers.

Representation of THI of Baltimore as the purchaser of a portfolio of four nursing homes and real estate under section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Chapter 11 proceedings of Mason Coppell OP, LLC, et al., pending before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas. The 363 sale successfully closed in April 2014 in record time (approximately 29 days from the bankruptcy filing through the date of entry of the sale order).

Representation of Quanta Resources Corporation in successfully defeating the motion to reopen chapter 11 proceedings by Revere Cooper Products, Inc. before the Honorable Shelley C. Chapman of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York in attempt to enforce Revere’s alleged bankruptcy discharge received in 1985.

Representation of Paul Kemsley, a UK citizen and real estate developer and the former Tottenham Hotspur vice-chairman, in a closely watched international bankruptcy case, which culminated in the decision of Judge Saliann Scarpulla of the New York Supreme Court, recognizing a bankruptcy discharge granted to Mr. Kemsley by the United Kingdom’s Bankruptcy Court – High Court under the common law principle of international comity.

Representation of the creditors’ committee and post-confirmation liquidating trust in the bankruptcy proceeding of Rock & Republic Enterprises, Inc. (R&R), a wholesale and retail apparel company specializing in an avant-garde and distinctive line of closing. R&R filed for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on April 1, 2010, with approximately $68.5 million in assets and $35.8 million in liabilities. Following confirmation of R&R’s plan of liquidation on March 23, 2011, the liquidating trust prosecuted R&R’s litigation claims and claims objections, including successfully expunging a request for an administrative expense in the amount of over $6 million by Quetico, LLC.

Representation of the creditors’ committee in the bankruptcy proceeding of Point Blank Solutions, Inc., et al., a leading manufacturer and provider of body armor, bullet, fragmentation and stab resistant apparel and related ballistic accessories. Point Blank filed for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware on April 14, 2010, with approximately $68 million in assets and $72 million in liabilities. Following a 363 sale of Point Blank’s assets, the creditors’ committee continues to work with the company’s counsel and CRO on its restructuring efforts.

Representation of the creditors’ committee in the bankruptcy proceeding of Protective Products of America, Inc., et al., (PPA), a leading manufacturer of bulletproof vests and body armor. PPA filed for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida on January 6, 2012, with approximately $26.6 million in assets and $29.1 million in liabilities. Following a 363 sale of PPA’s assets to an affiliate of Sun Capital, the creditors’ committee took the lead in (a) resolving through settlement the adversary proceeding commenced by the DIP lender; (b) proposing and confirming PPA’s plan of liquidation, which resulted in, among other things, the consensual settlement with PPA’s bondholders; and (c) resolving through settlement indemnity claims asserted against the estates by PPA’s investment banker and the CRO on account of a shareholders’ class action lawsuit pending in Ontario, Canada.

Representation on a pro bono basis of an indigent, divorced mother of three children in successfully obtaining dismissal with prejudice of a non-dischargeability complaint for over $250,000 under Section 523(a)(2)(A) of the Bankruptcy Code.

Previous Work

Immediately prior to joining Arent Fox, George served as a law clerk to the Honorable Arthur J. Gonzalez, US Bankruptcy Chief Judge (Ret.) for the Southern District of New York (2002–2003), where he gained experience working on matters ranging from several of the largest Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings to date (In re WorldCom; In re Enron) to matters arising under the Securities Investor Protection Act (SIPA). George also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Cecelia G. Morris, US Bankruptcy Chief Judge for the Southern District of New York (2000-2002). Under Chief Judge Morris, he gained experience working on voluntary and involuntary corporate and individual Chapter 11 and 7 cases, as well as Chapter 12 and 13 cases.

Professional Activities

George is a member of several voluntary bar associations, including:

American Bankruptcy Institute (Member of Committee on Court Administration)

Awards

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